Here is chapter 2! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kickin' It or Saving Grace by JM Hill or anything you see in the story!
AN: the story is going to be in Kim's POV through out the entire story.
We climbed the steps slowly to the Anderson's front door. Well, I climbed slowly, Grace kind of skipped. She pulled me next to her and smiled encouragingly as she rang the door bell confidently. The door opened, and the big guy stood there with a huge grin on his face-dimples and all-as he looked at Grace first, then me.
"Hey there, neighbors!" His voice was loud, and I know my eyes widened when I saw how huge he actually was, because he was... huge.
"Hi. I'm Grace." She smiled as she stretched out her hand, and he shook it enthusiastically. "This is my cousin, Kim."
"Hi there, Kim." His giant hand shook mine gently, but with the same enthusiasm. "I'm Milton Anderson. Do I smell bread?"
Grace and I both stifled a laugh. You can never go wrong with homemade bread.
"Yes, actually you do." Grace held the basket out in front of her. Milton took it, and brought it closer to his face inhaling the aroma wafting from the bread. Just when I thought his smile couldn't get any bigger, it did.
"Homemade? Are you kidding me?" His eyes widened with what I recognized as 'food-elation'. Grace and I often have a very similar reaction over Haagen-Dazs or cheesecake.
"Kimmy makes excellent bread, and she does it from scratch," Grace bragged. I nudged her with my elbow, but she just continued. "We don't want to intrude, we just wanted to introduce ourselves."
"You're not intruding at all. C'mon in." He stepped to the side, and Grace pulled me through the doorway.
"Hey, Jerry! Jack! We have company!" Milton hollered from behind me, making me flinch. I turned to look at him and he winked as he shoved an entire cookie in his mouth. I had to laugh. This guy was massive, and surprisingly un-scary. I liked him already.
We followed Milton inside, and I was impressed at how orderly their house seemed to be, espeically for three guys. There was a staircase in the foyer to the right of the front door, leading to a loft that opened to the living room below. The layout of the main level was very similar to ours. The modern kitchen opened to the living room, with a large breakfast bar surrounding by sturdy leather barstools. Tall windows made up most of the wall in the kitchen and eating area. To the right of the kitchen a hallway ran along the back of the house, which I assumed led to the bedrooms.
The walls were white with dark stained crown molding that matched the hardwood floors. Their furniture was rich, dark brown leathers and woods, and thick rugs in neutral colors accented areas of the floor. There were several large black and white framed pictures of land and seascapes that decorated the walls, as well as built-in shelves full of books, CD's, a bery intimidating stereo system, and family photographs. A plasma television was mounted over the fireplace, there were hardly any accessories. Everything simple, clean, and masculine.
As Milton led us into the living room, we were meet by the 'adorable one', and I was pretty sure that should be his name.
"Jerry, this is Grace and Kim," Milton said, as he pushed yet another cookie into his mouth. "And they brought food."
Jerry shook his head at his brother and then he smiled kindly at us. "It's wonderful to meet you both." He put his hand out to me, and then to Grace. His gaze fixed on her as they shook hands, and she smiled her sparkly-Grace-smile at him.
"And how did you know to bring food for him?" Jerry tilted his head toward Milton, who was now sitting on the sofa studying the gift card with his mouth full.
"Lucky guess?" Grace said with a giggle, and Jerry watched her intently for a moment, then motioned for us to sit on the sofa.
"The Open Book Cafe?" Milton asked, turning the gift card over.
"That's our shop in town," Grace explained. "It's a bookstore and a coffee shop."
"Great! Thanks!" Milton said excitedly. Clearly, he was easily pleased.
"I've actually been in there," Jerry said to Grace. "You two own that place?"
Grace nodded with a smile.
"You have great coffee," he said.
I couldn't help but look around for the 'stunning one', but he was nowhere to be found, and part of me was relieved. The embarassment form that morning still fresh in my mind. Milton pulled the small dish of cinnamon butter from the basket, and brought it to his nose.
"What's this?" His nose wrinkled.
"It's cinnamon butter for the bread," I told him. "It's really good when the bread is warm."
He looked at me apprehensively.
"Haven't you ever had cinnamon-butter before?" I asked.
He shrugged, and I stood from the couch.
"Shall we?" I asked him, gesturing toward the kitchen. He smiled widely as he picked up the basket, and we walked to the kitchen together, leaving Jerry and Grace deep in their own conversation.
"Do you have a bread board?" I asked. Milton scanned the kitchen for a moment, his lips pursed together as if concentrating, and then looking down at me with nonplussed expression.
"Okay, I don't even know what that is."
I bit the side of my mouth trying not to laugh. "May I?"
Milton nodded and watched me with his arms folded across his massive chest. I searched the kitchen for the necessary equipment, finding an unused breadboard and a knife. I spread some of the cinnamon butter onto a warm slice of bread and set it on a plate, sliding it in front of him. Without hesitation he shoved half of the piece into his mouth and chewed. I waited, anxious for his reaction and wasn't dissappointed. His eyes rolled into his head as he slid slowly into one of the barstools, shaking his head.
"Good?" I asked.
"This is the best bread I've ever had. You made this?"
I nodded. "You want another piece?"
"Hell yeah," he said excitedly, and then cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah."
I laughed as he pushed the rest of the slice into his mouth, and fixed him another piece.
"Tomorrow morning, toast the bread and then put on the cinnamon butter. You'll like that even more."
"Okay, I'll trust you." He winked as he finished his second piece. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." I walked back into the living room and Milton followed carrying plates of chocolate chip cookies, sitting next to me on the sofa. Grace and Jerry were still deep in conversation as Milton turned on the TV. Monday Night Football was geting started, and Hank Williams Jr. asked it we were ready for some football. I loved that. The Raiders were taking the field against the Chargers. "I hope the Chargers kick their asses," I muttered.
Milton chortled and turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "You like football?"
"Yes, I like football." I've always felt a little insulted when guys presume I don't like sports just because I'm female. Milton seemed entertained by the idea.
He chuckled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, I just don't know many girls that like sports."
"Well you know at least two now," I informed him. "Grace and I love football."
"Really?" His tone was dubious, and he grinned smugly. "NFL or college?"
"Both."
"So who do you like?"
"NFL or college?"
He snorted a laugh. "Well, let's start with college and move on from there." His voice was thick with sarcasm, though he tried to look serious. I knew he was challenging me, but I was okay with it. Thanks to Uncle Rudy, Grace and I had always been able to hold our own in any football discussion.
"Pac-ten or the SEC?" I asked, settling in for the challenge.
He cocked an eyebrow at me in surprise, and shrugged, no longer amused.
"Okay, how about if I start with the Pac-ten, and...move on from there." I raised an eyebrow as I repeated his words. Milton's eyes narrowed as I began.
"Our family had four generations of USC grads, including our parents, so our devotion to the team is in our blood. People said their divisionn is weak, but did you know SC has the most BCS Bowl wins and appearances in their conference? In the past ten years, they've had fifty-six players selected in the NFL draft, thirteen of those players going in the first round? In the last three years alone, an average of nine SC players are chosen per season." I focused my attention on the television casually, as I continued. "As far as the SEC is concerned, I've always liked University of Florida. They look great this season, and I love watching them kick Georgia's tail. Oh, and for the NFL, it's the Broncos, all the way. Win or lose." I smiled in conclusion while Milton processed everything I'd said. Slowly, a huge grin spread across his face.
"Very nice." His voice was appreciative as he nodded.
"I think you just got told big brother."
Milton guffawed as I turned to see the 'stunning one' standing near the sofa in blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His eyes were green, and they held mine as he smiled a crooked, beautiful smile so sexy, it was difficult to look away.
I decided 'stunning one' should definitely be his name. Definitely.
"Hi, I'm Jack Anderson."
"I'm Grace." I stood to shake his hand.
"It's nice to meet you." His voice was soft, his hand was warm and strong.
"It's... um, nice to meet you, too. This is my cousin, Grace," I said, trying to break whatever kind of crazy, hypnotizing, voodoo spell he'd just cast over me. "We're your neighbors."
"Yeah, I know," he said, with an amused grin.
Geez. Of course he knew we were neighbors. I flushed with my stupidity. He shook hands with Grace, then studied Milton for a moment.
"What are you eating?" Jack asked Milton.
"Chocolate chip cookies. Why?" Milton mumbles with his mouth full, and tucked the almost-empty plate of cookies into his side protectively, as if afraid Jack would take them away.
Jack scanned the kitchen. "Do I smell bread?"
"Yep. Kim here made us some homemad bread, and these cookies." Milton pushed another cookie into his mouth.
"Actually, Grace made the cookies," I corrected.
"That was very nice of you," Jack said. "Did my brother eat all the bread, or is there some left?"
Milton snorted. "No, I didn't eat it all, but you'd better get some while you can because I make no promises. And you need to have Kim fix you up with some of that cinnamon-butter. Trust me."
Jack looked at me expectantly. "Cinnamon-butter?"
"I made some for the bread," I responded, and turned my focus back on to the TV.
"Well, aren't you going to fix me up?"
Something about his voice and the way he looked at me, made me nervous.
"Sure." I stood from the couch and followed Jack into the kitchen. "Since I was just in here with your brother, do you mind..."
"Go ahead." He nodded with that same grin, and sat on a barstool. He watched with his chin resting in his hand as I spread a piece of the bread with cinnamon butter. His expression was impassive as he took a bite of the still-warm bread. He chewed a couple of times, looked at the bread in his hand, and back at me. I waited for him to say something, but he just smiled widely and continued chewing again. I took that as a good thing. After a moment his silence became unsettling, so I busied myself with wiping crumbs form the counter being careful not to drop any on the floor.
"Thanks for the bread," he finally spoke. "You're quite a cook."
I heard a buzzing sound, and he pulled a iphone from the pocket of his jeans, pressed a button and set it on the counter.
"So, what do you do?" he asked as he continued to enjoy his piece of bread, keeping his eyes on me.
"We-Grace and I-own the coffee shop in town," I replied. "The Open Book Cafe?"
He nodded with recognition. "Jerry and I have been there." One side of his mouth turned up. "Which part do you own? The coffee shop, or the bookstore?"
Was he trying not to laugh? I began to worry about smudges on my face, or something hanging from my nose.
Please, not that.
"We're equal owners, but I take care of the bookstore."
"You like books?"
"I love books," I amended.
He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "Well then, I'll definitely have to check out the bookstore next time."
"You like to read?" I couldn't help the incredulity in my tone, but he didn't seem like the type to spend free time with his nose in a book.
"You don't think I read?" he asked with a smirk.
I shrugged. "I don't know."
He chuckled quietly and his phone vibrated again.
"Excuse me," he said politely, and pressed the phone to his ear as he disappeared down the hall.
I returned to the living room and stood by the arm of the sofa where Milton was watching the game intently.
"Who's winning?" I asked.
"The Raiders," Milton grumbled in disdain.
"I hate the Raiders," I muttered in equal disdain. "They're playing the Broncos in two weeks."
"Yeah, I know. Should be a good game," He said. "You gonna watch it?"
I snorted. "Does it snow here?"
Milton laughed loudly as Jack came into the room wearing the black leather jacket I recognized from the first time I saw him standing in his driveway.
"Where ya goin', little brother?" Milton asked.
Jack raked his hand through his hair, and glanced sideways at me before answering. "I'm meeting Donna," he said. "Kim, it was nice meeting you. Thanks for the bread."
The stab of disappointment I felt surprised me. Why should I be disappointed? I didn't even know him. Besides, he was too pretty not to be with someone.
"You're welcome." I forced a smile and watched him say goodby to Jerry and Grace, and walk out the door.
Hmph. Donna. No doubt Donna was just as gorgeous as him.
"We should go, Kimmy," Grace said. "It was great meeting you guys."
Jerry and Milton followed us to the front door.
"Thank you so much for coming over. It was wonderful meeting you both," Jerry said, his voice full of sincerity. I knew he was talking to both of us, but he kept his eyes on Grace.
"Remember what I said about the bread in the morning, Milton," I reminded him.
"I'll remember," he said.
We descended the steps of the porch, and we glanced at each other sideways. Grace waggled her eyebrows. We both flopped onto the sofa and Grace gazed up at the ceiling, while I turned on the football game.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
She nodded, and then closed her eyes. "He's so sweet".
"Garrett?" I teased, knowing she was talking about Jerry.
She rolled her eyes. "Jerry," she said dreamily.
"He's pretty cute." I nudged her.
"He's just...pretty," she amended.
"Yeah, they're all pretty," I said. "I don't think it's normal for men to be that pretty."
"You were right about Jerry and Milton being twins," she said, ignoring my comment. "They're twenty-six, and Jack is twenty-four."
I nodded, sure that she had more.
"Jerry is a Structural Engineer, Jack an Architect and Milton a Project Manager. The business was started by their dad, but he's recently retired. They do most of their work from their house now, and run the business themselves. Their parents live near the Springs, and spend a lot of time traveling." Grace probably got more information in a thirty minute conversation then most people would get in a month. "They lived in Seaford for almost a year and decided they'd had their fill. They're originally from New York." She sighed. "I guess that's all, except, did I say how incredibly sweet Jerry is?"
I had to laugh at her dreamy expression. "Yes, you mentioned that part."
There was definitely something different about the Andersons. Milton was funny, Grace made it clear that Jerry was 'sweet', and Jack...well, I couldn't be sure, but he was definitely something.
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Did you know: After I post each chapter, I go straight into the next chapter.
